August 28, 2024

The Pilot Projects Program of the NIEHS-funded Environmental Health Sciences Core Center at Mount Sinai reached a 10-year milestone in 2023. Over the past decade, the program has funded 94 pilot studies led by Mount Sinai postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty, many of which have gone on to receive larger grant awards.

“It’s a great career development tool,” said María José Rosa, Dr.P.H., the new director of the center’s Pilot Projects Program, and a past pilot project recipient.

The program funds small-scale, innovative, multidisciplinary research projects exploring how the environment affects human health. Pilot project recipients gain access to the center’s world-class research facilities and environmental health science expertise and get the opportunity to connect with community partners. Additionally, the program prioritizes career development through its pre-review program, in which mentors help improve grant applications from postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty prior to submission.

“I’m invigorated to take the program in new directions, to make sure our submission process is smooth, and that we continue to build on partnerships and new collaborations,” Rosa said.

Read this news story to learn more.